Apple OS X Lion ready to pounce on business-minded cats

Apple is set to unveil a new version of OS X tomorrow, codenamed Lion. The new OS X 10.7 operating system is set to appeal to businessy felines as Apple attempts to expand into the world of suits, ties and unneccessarily long meetings.

OS X -- that's oh-ess-ten, not oh-ess-ecks, pronunciation fans -- is the software that powers the iMac and MacBook. A sawn-off mobile version, called iOS, runs on the iPad and iPhone 4. Apple is holding a press conference tomorrow, entitled 'Back to the Mac' and featuring an invitation showing a picture of a particularly regal lion.

The iPhone and iPad are becoming increasingly popular among business users, and not just arty designer types in tight jeans and goatee beards. The Wall Street Journal reports that OS X Lion will court the business market for desktop computers. Possible features could include increased security and encryption for both desktop and mobile devices, or more support for other systems used by businesses, such as Microsoft Exchange. What work-minded features would you like to see in Lion?

The current version of OS X, 10.6 Snow Leopard, was introduced just over a year ago, and was largely a beneath-the-bonnet speed boost to OS X Leopard. One of its big features was support for Microsoft Exchange, which will probably be expanded in Lion. 10.5 Leopard launched way back in 2007.